The New York Times has been all-aflutter (publishing two articles in just as many days) with ways colleges across the nation have been saving money while faced with dwindling endowments.

An article from last Friday highlighted the little ways colleges are cutting back, including relaxing housekeeping schedules, which saved Oberlin College $22,300, and eliminating faculty landlines, which saves University of Washington about 1,100 dollars each month. Skidmore, no doubt, is extertaining similar economies: free HBO—a luxury we enjoy—was cut at Dickenson College for a savings of 75,000. Programs similar to Sustainable Skidmore’s “Skidmore Unplugged” challenge are also cited as being major cost cutters for colleges as electric and heating costs rise.  In fact, many of the programs mentioned in the article are already commonplace at Skidmore: our trayless dining, energy-saving light bulbs and (extremely) low-flow shower heads suggest we are ahead of the frugal curve.

This week The Times brings us another piece about thrifty schools: this time about how colleges are finding funds by hosting summer camps, academic programs, conferences and the like during the summer season. Skidmore’s relatively unused facilities are our summertime cash cow as groups pay premium prices to relax in our spacious window seats and practice on our supine grassy fields.

“The overall landscape now is one in which you’ve got to become leaner and meaner and more competitive, and that means trying to find more sources of revenue,” said Tim Kelly, a college spokesman. “Summer is an important piece of the puzzle.”

There is a marketing upside, too, in maintaining a busy campus in summer, administrators say. On campus tours, prospective students and their parents respond better to a vibrant environment. And a high school student who takes, say, a three-week screenwriting workshop might remember that institution when applying to college.”

Thanks mostly to the draw of downtown Saratoga’s summertime pulse Skidmore has hosted several summer camps, academic programs, and summer conferences in the past, but don’t be surprised if more strangers crowd the dining hall as the weather gets nicer.

Skidmore has also teamed up with 5 other upstate liberal arts colleges in an effort to share services and cut costs. Dubbing themselves The New York Six Consortium (don’t they know it is uncool to give yourself a nickname) Hamilton College, Colgate University, Hobart and William Smith, Skidmore, Union, and St Lawrence University are hoping to take advantage of economies of scale* and save some money on larger purchases. Thanks to a grant from some dude named Mellon The Six are looking to save money by banding together to pay for insurance, dining, energy, printing, technology and team up when applying for federal grants. This relationship could also lead to academic integration.

*see Professor Muhammad I was paying attention.

Sometimes during the lazy days of summer with the sun cresting the rooftops of our suburban strip malls and darkening our pale,  previously GoreTex-protected winter skin it is easy to forget that post-graduation we must throw ourselves upon the gnawing gears of capitalism to pay for our days at this woodsy liberal arts hamlet.

With a year at Skidmore costing Freshmen somewhere around 50,000 dollars (plus or minus an arm and a leg) and the United States’ median yearly income hovering around 45,000 dollars we aren’t exactly “egalitarian.” This particular elephant in my room of liberal guilt was rocketed to my attention today when an email from the Bursar’s office arrived in my inbox cheerfully telling me that Skidmore billing is going “electronic.” I’m sure by now most of you have read the email and understand that Skidmore is upgrading to some sort of fancy electronic billing system, and that we all have to activate our accounts and step into the 21st century. Because I am not an Amish person I think this is a fantastic idea. What irks me is that the email asks me…

“To invite a payer so that the person who pays your bill will have access to view and pay the bill online.”

Having to sign my parents up to hear about electronic billing worries me. No matter how courteous and tactful the “you’ve-been-invited-to-pay-for-your-child’s-education email” could possibly be I can’t help but think it will sound, at least below the surface, something like…

Hey Mom, Hey Dad,

I know you guys are at work but I just want to give you a heads up. I’m at home watching Deadliest Catch and licking peanut butter off a spoon because I only work 2 days a week and I just wanted to let you know that I need a couple hundred thousand dollars. lol.

Love, Your Son

P.S. What’s for dinner?

It is pretty inconsiderate for the Bursar’s office to force me to confront reality so abruptly, so for the time being I’m going to ignore this email, at least until I start putting on pants before 3pm.

Hey Folks! Remember me? I used to tell you about events and goings-on in a somewhat sarcastic and reluctant manner? Anyhoo, it is summertime now, which means we’ve all been too busy sleeping until 3, scoping the other interns, or trying to reconnect with our besties from High School to check/update this website. But don’t worry people I haven’t abandoned you; below is a roundup of some things that have been happening. Call it old news or call it a helpful round up of interesting links—I don’t care.

For those of you in Saratoga tonight (6/12) the Saratoga Acoustic Blues Society is performing on the roof of the Tang at 7pm. FO’ FREE.

Beginning today the 32nd annual International Women’s Writing Guild summer conference is on campus until the 19th.

Campus is currently hosting two dance residencies: Taylor 2 and the SITI Company.

Today is day two of the SaratogaArtsFest. Scope has a riveting interview with Marie Glotzbach about the festival and the importance of the Arts.

Visiting Professor Casey analyzed the agrarian ideal in a new book.

Beau Breslin wrote about Obama’s selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court in a essay published in the Times Union.

Thats all for now folks.